In 2012, the American Thyroid Association (ATA) noted that the incidence of thyroid cancer is increasing faster than any other cancer in the United States, and 56,000 people were expected to be diagnosed with thyroid cancer in that year.

In 2016, the American Cancer Society (ACS) expected this figure to be around 62,450 people. Of these, 49,350 are likely to be women, and 19,950 men.

Since the 1990s, the number of cases of thyroid cancer has tripled, but this is partly due to improved methods of screening and detection of asymptomatic cancers. In other words, improved technology is detecting more hidden cases.

Types of thyroid cancer

There are various types of thyroid cancer.

The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped gland that produces key hormones.

Papillary thyroid cancer accounts for about 80 percent of cases. It is most likely to appear in patients aged between 30 and 50 years of age. This type of cancer grows slowly, it is easy to treat, and it has a good prognosis.

Follicular thyroid cancer accounts for about 10 percent of cases, mostly in individuals aged 50 years or over. It more common in people from countries with inadequate dietary iodine intake. It is also associated with a good prognosis, but it is more likely to spread than the papillary type.

Medullary thyroid cancer accounts for about 4 percent of cases. This type is more aggressive than the papillary or follicular types, and it is more likely to spread to other organs. It can be due to a hereditary syndrome that is also associated with other endocrine disorders.

Hurhtle cell carcinoma, also called oxphil cell carcinoma, is a subtype of follicular and accounts for about 3 percent of thyroid cancers.

Anaplastic thyroid cancer is an aggressive cancer that spreads easily and accounts for about 2 percent of cases. It normally occurs patients aged over 60 years.

What is the thyroid gland?

The thyroid gland makes and stores hormones that control blood pressure, body temperature, heart rate, and metabolism. Metabolism is the process that converts food into energy. The function of every cell in the body depends on the hormones that the thyroid gland produces.

The thyroid gland lies in the lower, front part of the neck or below the "Adam's apple." It has a butterfly shape with two lobes, or "wings," attached to each other by a middle section.

The thyroid gland needs iodine to work properly and to produce the necessary hormones.

C cells, which produce calcitonin. Calcitonin helps to control calcium levels in the blood. Calcium is necessary to make strong bones and to prevent blood clots.

Symptoms of thyroid cancer

Thyroid cancer normally develops very slowly, and symptoms do not usually appear during the early stages. Autopsy studies suggest a prevalence of between 5 percent and 30 percent of cases with no clinical symptoms. This makes it harder to diagnose at the treatable stages.

The first symptom to appear may be a small, painless lump in the neck, although not all such lumps are cancerous.

Later symptoms may include:

Pain in the neck and throat

Hoarseness, or problems speaking with a normal voice

Swollen lymph nodes in the neck

Breathing difficulties

Risk factors for thyroid cancer

A number of factors can increase the risk of developing thyroid cancer.

Radiation exposure, especially in early childhood, increases the risk of developing thyroid cancer.

The number of cases increased in the area of Chernobyl in the former Soviet Union, following nuclear fallout after a major nuclear explosion in 1986.

Thyroid cancer may also result from radiation treatment that was carried out as therapy at a time when radiation risks were not properly understood, specifically before the early 1960s.

Exposure to radiation increases the risk of thyroid cancer.

Low levels of radiation, for example as the result of medical and dental imaging tests, are unlikely to increase the risk, but thyroid shields are recommended in some cases.

According to the ATA, the risk of thyroid cancer from radiation exposure depends on how old the person is when they are exposed. The risk is higher in children, and the younger the child, the greater the risk. Higher doses also increase the risk. Radiation poses some risk to adults, they say but the risk is low.

The ATA recommend the use of shields to protect patients from radiation in some diagnostic tests. They also call for the use of radiation to be minimized in dental treatment, and for all patients to be informed about the potential risks of radiation.

Some health conditions or diseases can increase the risk. People with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, Cowden's syndrome, thyroid adenoma and familial adenomatous polyposis have a greater chance of developing thyroid cancer.

Genetic factors can increase the chance of developing medullary thyroid cancer. Around 25 percent of people who develop medullary thyroid cancer have an abnormal gene.

The American Cancer Society say that most people with thyroid cancer do not have a family history of the condition, but when a patient does have a close relative with the disease, they have a higher risk of developing it. Inherited faulty genes and other inherited conditions are thought to play a role.

Lack of iodine in the diet can increase the risk. In the United States, iodine is added to table salt, making a lack of iodine less likely.

How is thyroid cancer diagnosed?

The first step will be to examine the patient's neck and throat and to ask questions about the symptoms.

A blood test will measure thyroid function by assessing the levels of specific hormones in the blood.

High levels of thyroxine and triiodothyronine suggest an overactive thyroid gland, while raised levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) suggest that the thyroid gland is underactive. TSH is produced by the pituitary gland in order to stimulate the thyroid gland. Blood tests are not used to diagnose thyroid cancer but can tell if the thyroid if functioning properly.

Fine-needle aspiration cytology, or a biopsy, involves passing a small needle into the swelling in the patient's neck, to remove a sample of cells for examination under a microscope.

A biopsy will reveal whether a lump is cancerous, and, if so, what type of cancer it is.

If the results are inconclusive, a biopsy may be carried out surgically, to remove a small sample of the thyroid gland to see if it contains cancerous cells.

Treatment for thyroid cancer

Many cases of thyroid cancer can be treated and cured through surgery, radioactive iodine or radiotherapy, or a combination of these treatments.

Surgery is a treatment option for thyroid cancer.

Common types of surgery include:

Thyroidectomy, the surgical removal of the thyroid gland. If cancer has moved to lymph nodes in the neck, the surgeon may also remove these.

Lobectomy, or hemithyroidectomy, the surgical removal of one of the lobes of the thyroid gland.

Risks of surgery include bleeding, nerve injury, permanent, or temporary hoarseness, breathing problems and rarely the need for tracheotomy, infection and damage to the parathyroid glands.

If the parathyroid glands, which help regulate blood calcium levels, are damaged the patient may need to take calcium supplements. Usually, the parathyroid glands recover after some time.

Thyroid hormone therapy, in the form of hormone replacement medication, will be necessary, if the thyroid gland is completely or partially removed. The patient will need this treatment for the rest of their life, as well as regular blood tests to make sure the hormone levels are adequate.

Radioactive iodine therapy may be needed after surgery, to prevent the thyroid cancer from returning. The patient may need to follow a low-iodine diet two weeks prior to treatment with radioactive iodine. Pregnant women should not receive radioactive iodine treatment.

External radiation therapy, or radiotherapy, is normally only used for medullary or anaplastic thyroid cancers.

Chemotherapy is usually only used to treat anaplastic thyroid cancer that has metastasized, or spread to other parts of the body.

Newer treatments like targeted oral therapies can sometimes be used in later stage thyroid cancers when other treatments are no longer effective.

Prognosis for patients with thyroid cancer

Survival and recurrence rates depend on the type of thyroid cancer and the stage at diagnosis.

Patients with most types of thyroid cancer can expect a 100 percent 5-year survival rate, if their cancer is diagnosed in the early stages.

If papillary or follicular thyroid cancer are diagnosed in stage IV, the patient has around a 50 percent chance of survival over 5 years. For medullary thyroid cancer, the 5-year chance of survival is 28 percent.

Recent research suggests that despite increases in detection of thyroid cancer, rates of survival are not increasing.

Bannerjee, M., Wiebel, J.L., Guo, C., Gay, B., Haymart, M. (2016, July 21). Use of imaging tests after primary treatment of thyroid cancer in the United States: population based retrospective cohort study evaluating death and recurrence. The BJ. Retrieved from http://www.bmj.com/content/354/bmj.i3839.

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Comments(4)

i was just wondering, do you think i should stop worrying about my thyroid cancer coming back as i had both my thyroids removed in 2003 as they were both full of calcified cancer nodules, 10 to 15 lumps in each thyroid. i had radioactive iodine treatment after and have been on thyroxine ever since but i do worry as my doctors cannot seem to get my dose right. i started at 250mm and for the last 2yrs they have changed my dose several times, from 125mm to 50mm to 75mm and then back to 125mm and now im back on 75mm what do you think the problem is, for them not being able to give me one dose to follow, im so tired and worried

Endocrine cancers include thyroid cancer and pancreatic cancer. Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine cancer. Three-quarters of all patients with thyroid cancer are female. Pancreatic cancer is more common in men than in women. Thyroid cancer is incredibly common, with autopsy studies of people dying from other causes showing that more than one third of older adults technically has small thyroid cancer (mostly papillary). What causes thyroid cancer? Our bodies do not have the ability to remove excess iron; all it can do is to store as much as it can. Once it has reached its storage capacity, our bodies can no longer manage it, and iron begins to build up in other parts of the body, leading to iron overload. Iron overload occurs over time, and often patients will not show any signs. It is more likely that iron overload will be detected by laboratory results before the person will have any symptoms. When iron has overwhelmed the body’s ability to safely store it, it can cause harm in a number of ways. First of all, when there is more iron in the body than transferrin for it to bind to, it circulates around by itself as non-transferrin-bound iron (NTBI). This form of iron is toxic (and carcinogenic) to our bodies, and causes damage to our tissues and organs at a cellular level. Excessive iron accumulates in endocrine glands, heart, lungs, brain, liver and bone marrow. This accumulation can lead to endocrine cancers, diabetes and arthritis. An increase of needless/useless iron stores (deposits) in old age is reported. This increase of iron stores can be a result of loss of muscle volume, decrease of erythrocyte volume, or ineffective erythropoiesis but can hardly be associated with an impaired iron absorption. Men are significantly more likely to develop hemochromatosis compared to women. Women lose iron during menstruation and pregnancy. A woman's risk increases after the menopause or a hysterectomy. The frequency of thyroid disorders in men with hemochromatosis is about 80 times that of men in the general population.

There are several types of natural goiter treatment and home remedies to cure thyroid sore and swelling completely which is available in kitchen and vegetable market. You may spent thousands of dollars and euros to cure hypothyroidism with doctors. Thyroid gland may basically affects with sore because of the excess hormones secretion. So if you cure the sore and swelling basically by using Indian natural remedies, then you can surely defend and cure hypothyroid from your life. This post is especially for people who trusts Indian home made remedies to cure major body diseases like hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. The available and experienced remedies for Goiter treatment are following below.

To get your healthy tonality back

Because of thyroid gland swelling and sore in that area, you may lose your bold and native voice badly. To get your voice back, you can follow these steps.

Take some amount of mango leaves and grind it to take it's raw juice. Once you get the Raw mango leaf juice, you should also take the same quantity of PURE HONEY, FRESH COW MILK & PURE COW GHEE. After that mix all those in one glass with a spoon. Before go to bed, drink it after your dinner and sleep. When you continue this for 3 months. You will get you voice tonality back as it is ! This is one of major goiter treatment in Indian natural home remedies.

Heal your neck sore in thyroid gland

1. To heal your neck pain because of the goiter sore, you need to have HOT PEPPER POWDER, PURE HONEY, CLOVE POWDER. Take one table spoon of hot pepper powder & one table spoon of clove powder and mix it with one glass of water and then boil it in normal temperature. Once you got this mixed water, again mix it with two table spoon of pure honey and drink it before you go to sleep. Same like before, if you continue this for 1 month, you neck sore and thyroid neck pain will fly away completely.

2. You may also use this for better health for thyroid gland. Take Neem tree flower and Ladies finger in vegetable. Cut those neem tree flower and ladies finger into 13 pieces and put it in boiling water. Once the steam is ready to come heavily from that water, put down that vessel from the stove and close it. And then take to a normal place from kitchen and open that vessel. The main thing is that, the steam of that water should reach your inner throat till the steam comes. You can follow this regularly for better relief from thyroid throat pains.

To heal graves disease, thyroid disease and all major neck related diseases

There is a scientific name called THESPESIA POPULNEA also called as PORTIA TREE. To heal you neck related diseases completely you should have known about this tree.

Take Portia tree rust and Portia tree root a little and grind it as powder. And then mix it in one glass of water and boil it in normal temperature to make it as Brew. Once you got it finally, you shouldn't drink it. Gargle it for a minute and spit it. Like this you should continue this in early morning and night for 3 months. As goiter treatment in surgery are really less results in high expenses, You can see the positive results in very small expense by follow it to have relax in thyroid neck pain and reducing disease symptoms after that.

To get rid of neck sore and Goiter swelling

Take a big onion and cut it. After that put those onion pieces in the vessel and mix it with pure honey as per onion need. And then close the vessel till the onion pieces and pure honey to mix up to it. After some time take those mingled onion pieces and eat it before you go to bed. If you follow this for a month, then not only neck sore, your stomach ulcers and mouth ulcers also will gone from your body. I'm not telling that you completely no need to go with doctor, when you follow all these home remedies, your doctor will feel that something positively happening with your body and it helps you for faster goiter treatment recovery.

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